The Boulder County Flood
Yes, I was one of those trapped in Boulder, Colorado when walls of water streamed out of the canyons and smashed into the town. There’s just no way to describe the terror of trying to escape a flood with walls of water several feet high crashing into your car in virtually every intersection. If the amounts of water that flooded Boulder County were turned into equivalent snow amounts, this storm would have produced a blizzard that amounted to 18 feet of snow! I started trying to get out of town at about 5pm and finally poured myself into bed nine hours later. This is usually a thirty minute drive for me.
But what a blessing the police officers, firemen and emergency workers were. I never saw a speck of anger or frustration with us common folk as they put up the barricades and tried to turn around motorists like me who should never have tried the all night drive.
The pictures on the news just don’t give the real drama and scope of this flood. Whole hillsides were washed down, thousands, even tens of thousands of homes will have some kind of water damage. Thousands of roads will need major repairs. A major sewage plant was ruined and there were at least three dams that either broke or were predicted to break. Some homeowners who thought they were safe building higher on the mountain did exactly the wrong thing, because raging torrents of water and boulders the size of bowling balls were running right through their living rooms. It seemed the higher I climbed on the mountain the more raging the torrents became.
A five-hundred year flood they’re calling this one. I kept looking for Noah, but I guess the Ark had filled up fast and floated on out of town.
But if you’ve ever dreamed of owning a house in Boulder, now’s the time. A ton of people want to move out and never go through this kind of thing again. Offer a bid. You’d be surprised how fast your offer would be taken.
(click here for ongoing flood coverage)
